Recently (mainly after I cleaned out my car) I was reminded again about the large pile of bulletins I had accumulated from Sunday services. No, I don’t just save them for the fun of it…those that get saved are the ones that I have covered in notes from the sermons. Now, I admit, I do get lazy from time to time and just listen instead of taking notes, but I’m more and more glad that I have jotted somethings down.

I have small journal notebook that I deemed my sermon notebook. I actually dedicated it to this cause a long time ago (Feb. 2005 in fact!), but I had only used 22 pages (yes, I just counted). This is not a testament to sermons that were not noteworthy, but in fact to my laziness. So, while I have again decided to make sure I am taking notes each week, I also determined to finally copy down my messy bulletin notes into my sermon journal. And as I’ve been doing so (for a couple weeks now), I am reminded again and again of great messages I have heard and some great info I needed to read again. This has led me to think that I really need to share these notes on here and they will double as my notekeeping section, too.

So, those of you who attend MI Church may actually remember some of these sermons based on these notes. For those of you who don’t, you probably won’t get the full impact of the sermon from my notes, but you might get a few tidbits of good ideas and a new outlook on some scriptures, too. So, I hope you enjoy, if not or if these notes don’t make sense…then just disregard. I’ll be trying to post some new notes every few days, so keep an eye out…

These notes and the new few posts of them (whenever they happen), are from a series that our church did on the book of Mark. And almost all of them are preached by our Evangelist, Mark Bourne, aka my father-in-law.

(7/4/10)

Mark 4

Mark 4:24-25: The more we open ourselves up to God, the more He will bless us and use us.

If we open only a little–we shouldn’t expect anything!

2 Kings 4:1-7

Mark 4:1-8

Pathway–Not open to it

Just how much of an impact God will have on you and through you–Depends on you!

Can’t learn from God’s Word if you don’t read it or attend studies

Can’t benefit from prayer if you don’t pray

Are you involved in corporate, D-Groups (in homes) and 1-on-1 relationships?

You can’t feel the benefits of God’s fellowship if you’re not involved in all 3 areas!

1-on-1 –>Can’t deal w/ stuff if you don’t confess it!

Sometimes we don’t do things for God because we don’t even think about it.

Rocky Soil (Haggai 2)

Sometimes we have to wait for God’s blessings

Sometimes we aren’t benefiting because we stop doing what we should (slacking on our commitments, etc.)

Thorns = Worries (Philippians 4)

Focus on what we can do–not on what we can’t control

Deceitfulness of wealth:

If God isn’t first in our finances, then wealth is going to come back to bite us.

Through You

Are the nonchristians in your life closer to making a decision for Christ because of you?